Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-14
0NANC0CK ABLAzE.
TEE BUsrNEEs PORTION OF THE rows
DESTROYED.
Hotel. Pcstofsee, and Many Other Bald
ings Burr Total Loss Fifty
Thousand Dollars.


Of William X. Hallet, on Main street,
and soon destroyed the principal bust
ness portion OF Onancock. When first
discovered the flames were bursting out
Of the upper story OF Hallet's store.
Most of the citizens had retired for the
night, and it was fully half an hour be-
fore crowd assembled.
The town is entirely destitute of fire
apparatus, and as the flames were
spTeading both up and down Main
street it was impossible to check the
progress of the confagration. The
next building to catch fire was the large
double storebouse of Messrs. .5locumb
& Ames. This was soon reduced to
ashes, and the flames swept on up
the street, destroying the store
OF John H. Riley, the jewelry
establishment OF John w. Duncan, and
the store of Kellam, Broughton & Son.
The post-ofice was in the last-named
building, but all the mail matter and
Government property was saved. Here
the progress of the fire in that direction
was checked by the heroic efforts of the
citizens, who climbed up on ladders TO
the house-tops and poured water upon
the roofs and sides of the adjoining
buildings, and thus succeeded in
saving Powell & Wapless store,
w. r. Wise's drugstore, the Bap-
list church, and large number Of
dwelling.houses on North street. In
the mean time the flames had been com
municated to the opposite side OF the
street TO the stores of Walter ID. Lewis,
W. G. West, and Israel Gordon, while
the stables of the Grand Central Hotel,
owned by Colonel Ben. L. Parker, were
in light blaze. All these were soon con-
sumed, and the Grand Central Hotel was
the next to go. From there the flames
spread down the street towards the
steamboat wharf to Tully w. Parker's
store, ID. J. Titlow's stationery and
bookstore, and the Westinghouse of
Henry ID. Carmin, all of which were
destroyed. All the time the people had
been battling with the fire, carrying
water III buckets from the well
and the adjacent creek, while others
we're removing goods, furniture, and
valuables from the burning or endan-
gered houses. At one time it seemed
that nearly the whole town was doomed,
but shortly after 2 o'clock in the morn
ing the progress of the flames was
stopped, but not until twenty-threc
houses and q considerable number OF
smaller buildings had been destroyed
and fully $4,000 worth of property
swept away.
The losses are estimated as follows {:
W. T.. Hallet. store. house and stock OF
goods, S5,000-insurance $500 Slo-
cumb & Hines, double store-house and
stock, ST, 5C0-insurance IS, 800 John
II. Riley, store and stock destroyed
and damaged, $3,000-fully insured 4;
John w. Duncan, iewelry store and
stock, Sl,000-no insurance Kellam
Broughton & Son, store and stock,
Il, 2O0-no insurance W. ID. Lewis,
store and stock, $3,000-no iu-
surance; IT. A. Wertham, two
stores and shoe-shop, $500
no insurance W. G. West, stock of
groceries, S300-no insurance Israel
Gordon, stock Of general merchandise,
81, 5G0-probably no insurance; Ben
iamin Il. Parker, hotel, stables, bar
ber-shop, shop-furniture, ETC., $1,000
insurance, $500; L. w. Bagwell,
store and unoccupied dwelling, 81, 200
no insurance ; Winder & Mapp, stock
of groceries, S300-no insurance !;
Frank Jones & Co., tailors, S600--no
insurance lilly w. Parker, unoccu-
pied storchouse, 81, 300-no insurance /;
Henry d. Carmine, dwelling, furniture,
and store, $2,500-insurance $1,000 ;
ID. J. Titlow, stock of books and sta
tionery, damaged by removal, $500
no insurance Powell g. NAPLES, goods
damaged by water, S300-insured /; w.
T. Wise, stock of drugs damaged by
renewal, S250-insured p. A. Leather
berry, damage to buildings, furniture,
and goods, S300-insured w. NJ. d
John T. Scott, shoemakers, SlG0--no
insurance.
In addition to this many persons had
their furniture broken in moving to
places OF safety. and many valuable
were stolen by thieves, who are said to
have carried off large quantities OF
goods while the fire was raging, all OF
which, It is thought, will swell the total
loss to more than $4,000; the total
amount OF insurance on which was over
$1,000. all except $500 being in
companies represented by l.. w.
ChildTey, OF Onancock.
Nearly all the buildings Of the town
are built of wood, and If high wind
had been prevailing at the time there is
no telling where the conAagration would
have stopped. Only a few weeks ago
the town authorities took steps 10 or
ganize fire department and procure
tire-extinguishing apparatus. With
these the fire could have been checked
last night before much damage had been
done. As il is, the faircst portion OF
the town is in ashes, and its business
prosperity has received a terrible blow,
from which 1t cannot recover for many
years.
1t is considered rather fortunate that
in all the devastation wrought by the
flames last night only two families have
been rendered homeless, and they have
already secured quarters. While the
terrible ravages of the flames have cast
~ gloom over the entire community,
nearly all the burnt-out merchants will
rebuild as soon as possible, and Colonel
Parker has already taken steps to have
q new hotel erected at once.
The origin of the fire is as yet mys-
terry, but it is believed to have been Of
incendiary origin, as it first broke out
in a room that hes not been occupied
for several months.
Onanoock is situated between two
broad arms of Onancock creek, q nayi-
gable tributary of the Chesapeake bay.
Ii is the largest and most fourishin9
town on the Eastern Shore OF Virginia,
containing between 1000 and 1000
inhabitants. 1t was laid out in 1850 by
Colonel Edmond Scarborough, the sur
yeyor- general Of the colony, and named
in honor of him Post Scarborough,
afterwards taking the Indian name OF
the arm OF the Chesapeake on which 1t
is situated.
Hundreds OF people have visited the
town to-day, some coming from the
islands of the seaside fifteen miles
away, where the light from the burning
buildings last night was so bright rs to
enable the people to read fine print.
Early this morning the yards and
other open places near the burnt dis
trjct were soon filed with goods and all
,oonnfr of household articles. present